Eileen Gu, also known by her Chinese name Gu Ailing, is a freestyle skier, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and model. She has competed for China in halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air events since 2019. Gu competed for the United States at the 2018–19 FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup.
Eileen Gu: China loves| Halfpipe| Endorsement deals
China loves:
With the roar of home fans cheering her on, China’s “snow princess” Eileen Gu cruised to victory in the women’s freestyle skiing halfpipe final on Friday, claiming her second gold medal at the Beijing olympics.
Her gold medal locked down, the 18-year-old skier hugged her mother and her coach at the top of the pipe before dropping into a victory run.
Breaking down in tears afterwards, Gu told reporters her victory was the result of years of hard work where she juggled hours of daily training with her career as a model and student.
Halfpipe:
Eileen Gu, a stunning American-born freestyle skier, and Victoria’s Secret model who could have been America’s next ticket to Olympic gold but decided to join team China is in the news once again after reports showed that the young skier reportedly raked a lot of cash from Chinese sponsorship with her decision to represent China.
Gu received a lot of backlash for her decision especially from members of the American skiing community who hoped that she would compete for the US. The 18-year-old went as far as to renounce her US citizenship to become naturalized in China in order to represent the communist country at the ongoing Beijing Winter Olympics 2022.
Endorsement Details:
Tianxiashangwang, a news outlet in China, reported on Tuesday that Gu has bagged over $42 million worth of sponsorship and endorsement deals.
Out of which, at least $31 million has come from over 20 deals with Chinese companies such as Bank of China, China Mobile, milk company Mengniu, and Luckin’ Coffee, claims Business Insider.
Yicai Global, an outlet in Shanghai, counted 23 endorsement deals for Gu heading into the Olympics, including Estee Lauder cosmetics, Cadillac, Louis Vuitton and Tiffany.
